The Great Towns of Oregon: The Guide to the Best Getaways for a Vacation or a Lifetime

Packed with delightful information about the most compelling destinations throughout Oregon beyond the major cities, The Great Towns of Oregon will direct you to exciting adventures, charming art villages, and world-class culture that you never thought was available so close to home. Adventures include wilderness backpacking on more than 500 miles of trails, and campsites overseen by bald eagles, bighorn sheep and mountain goats (Joseph); multi-day wild river drift boat trips to remote river lodges inaccessible to vehicles (Grants Pass to Gold Beach); and watching cranberry bogs being harvested with antique equipment (Bandon). More than 30 wineries with tasting facilities, and more than 300 restaurants are described and rated with a star system. In all of the 260 best lodgings, special rooms (identified by name or number) with unique views, hot tubs, fireplaces--even a bathroom with a heated floor--are identified and detailed. All listings are presented in a clear, consistent format including name, address, distance from town, phone number, toll-free phone number, and website. As an added feature, for those contemplating relocation to a great town, a final chapter provides comparable statistics and ratings for the 18 great towns including scores for downtown vitality, safety, quality of life, housing costs, and a ranking of quality-of-life value for the housing dollar. David Vokac, the "great town guru" who launched his "great towns" series in 1985, and his wife Joan, have done a comprehensive job covering Oregon's best getaways.